JOHOR BARU: Germany won their fifth Junior World Cup title when they came back from a goal down to beat Holland 3-1 in the final at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium here yesterday.

It was an exciting finale showcasing the best of the European game. Both teams played a cat-and-mouse game and waited for the right time to strike.

The Germans made better use of their chances and in the end continued their domination of the game at the junior level.

Germany were also the champions in 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1993. For Holland, it was their second defeat by Germany in the final after 1985 in Vancouver.

The match yesterday started at a fast pace with the Germans pushing forward in attack. The Dutch relied on the counter attack and used their speed to break through.

In the 21st minute, Holland made another foray upfront and this time it resulted in a penalty corner which Mink ven der Weerden netted for his 13th goal. But a minute later, Germany were back on level terms with Marco Miltkau scoring from close range.

The second half was more evenly contested with both sides attacking with greater urgency.

The Germans had their first penalty corner in the 41st minute but it was poorly executed.

The match turned the Germans’ way in the 56th minute when they capitalised on a Dutch mistake.

Five minute later, Germany sealed the match with Jan Fleckhaus putting the finishing touch on a quick counter attack.

Fuchs and team-mate Niklas Sakwo­­­ski were named the man-of-the-final and the best goalkeeper of the tournament respectively.

New Zealand skipper Simon Child was voted the best player of the tournament while Ven der Weerden was the top scorer.

In the playoff for third place, Australia defeated New Zealand 4-1. Timothy Bates scored a brace in the 10th and 25th minutes from field attempts while his brother, Michael, was on target from the penalty corner in the 21st minute.

New Zealand pulled a goal back through Joseph Barthelomew (47th) but Adrian Lockley netted again for Australia one minute from time.